Monday, May 24, 2010

First: I met a guy named Brian that lives in my apartment complex. He just started riding to work last week, and is considering keeping it up. We had a little discussion between 87th street at Monrovia, and where we parted ways at 95th street. It sounds like he's working near the job I turned down in February. What a nice route! I saw a few other cyclists on their way to work as well, northbound just south of 95th Street. These guys were actually friendly.

Thoughts on riding to work in your work clothes: Convertible cargo pants (with removable legs) and wicking golf shirts are awesome. I scored some of each for cheap at a second-hand store over the weekend. I've always wanted to give golf shirts a go, but can't usually justify the price. They're cheaper at places like Costco, but you can find them for a couple of bucks used if you know where to look. So-called "golf shirts" look much like polos, but they're made of highly breathable, fast-drying synthetics. Perfect for the road, sharp enough for the office. Same thing with the cargo pants: cheap at secondhand stores. Ride to work in shorts, zip on your pant legs once you get in to work. Done. Business casual bicycling without the chainring stains or sweaty back.

I also saw some mountain bike shorts (liner permanently attached inside) being sold as "swimming trunks" - I'm guessing one would want to run those through the washer a time or four before donning them on a ride. Still, an interesting way to get a $25-50 pair of padded bike shorts for less than the cost of a drink at Starbucks...

The photo in my "Wee Hours..." post was taken whilst riding home from the hospital early this morning, so that my wife has a vehicle there to get home with while I'm at work. At about 5:00 this morning, an hour or so after I got home, they decided to admit her to the hospital for observation. She could use your prayers. Well, so could I.

I find seersucker, or other short-sleeved button-down shirts, work very well. You can regulate airflow with the buttons, and the air lifts the fabric off your skin, it's really amazing. Because the fabric hardly touches your skin, cotton ones work fine. The only problem is that when you stop, the shirt stops flapping in the breeze and rests on your skin, and then you get sweaty. You can easily pick up some nice shirts like these at a thrift shop, too.

Hope everything goes well for your wife. Sorry to hear she's in the hospital, but at least you managed to get a nice photo out of the ride home.

Where did you create the chart to show the elevation gain? The only website that charts elevation I know of is:http://beta.mapmyride.com/The graph it creates is different than the one you posted though.P.S. Perhaps we'll meet again on Santa Fe Trail Drive. I'm not sure how long I'll keep it up in the Kansas summer though.

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